On This Day: Berlin Wall falls

On Nov. 9, 1989, East Germany announced free passage for its citizens through border checkpoints, rendering the Berlin Wall virtually irrelevant.

By

UPI Staff

A boy looks over an original segment of the Berlin Wall at the Bernauer Strasse memorial on the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Wall on November 9, 2009 in Berlin. On November 9, 1989, East Germany announced free passage for its citizens through border checkpoints, rendering the Berlin Wall virtually irrelevant. File Photo by David Silpa/UPI | License Photo

The historical handshake between Israeli Prime Minister Yithzak Rabin (L) and PLO Chairman Yasser Arafat (R) during peace accord signing ceremonies held on the South Lawn of the White House on September 13, 1993. On November 9, 1995, Arafat visited Israel for the first time to offer personal condolences to Rabin's widow. File Photo by Leighton Mark/UPI | License Photo

A Penn State fan shows his support for former head coach Joe Paterno, fired November 9, 2011, before the start of the Penn State versus Nebraska NCAA football game at Beaver Stadium in State College, Pa., on November 12, 2011. File Photo by Archie Carpenter/UPI | License Photo

President Donald Trump outlines his defense budget aboard the USS Gerald R. Ford at Newport News Shipbuilding in Newport News, Va., on March 2. On November 9, 2013, the USS Gerald R. Ford was christened by the late president's daughter, Susan Ford Bales. The ship is the first of a new class of technologically advanced U.S. nuclear aircraft carriers. File Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI | License Photo

Nov. 9 (UPI) -- On this date in history:

In 1872, a fire which began in the basement of a warehouse in downtown Boston raged for 12 hours, consuming 65 acres and leaving 776 buildings in ruins. The Great Boston Fire killed at least 30 people.

In 1906, Theodore Roosevelt traveled to Panama to observe the progress being made on the construction of the canal. He was the first sitting president of the United States to embark on an official trip outside the country.

In 1918, Germany's Kaiser Wilhelm II abdicated as World War I drew to a close.

In 1989, East Germany announced free passage for its citizens through border checkpoints. The announcement rendered the Berlin Wall, the most reviled symbol of the Cold War, virtually irrelevant 28 years after its construction.

In 1995, Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat visited Israel for the first time to offer personal condolences to the wife of slain Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin.

In 2007, Germany's Bundestag passes a heavily criticized data retention bill, mandating the collection of its citizen's telecom data for six months without probable cause.

In 2008, three men were executed by firing squad for 2002 bombings in Bali that killed 202 people, mostly tourists.

In 2015, the World Anti-Doping Agency recommended that Russia be banned from international sporting events due to systematic doping by athletes. Of the 389 athletes submitted for competition in the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, 111 were prohibited in stringent doping tests required of all Russian athletes.